Buddies in Bad Times TheaTre is siTuaTed on The lands of The haudenosaunee, The anishinaaBe, and The WendaT, and The TreaTy TerriTory of The mississaugas of The CrediT. We aCknoWledge Them and any oTher naTions Who Care for The land (aCknoWledged and unaCknoWledged, reCorded and unreCorded) as The pasT, presenT and fuTure CareTakers of This land, referred To as TkaronTo (“Where The Trees meeT The WaTer”; “The gaThering plaCe”). Buddies is honoured To Be a home for queer, Trans and 2-spiriT arTisTs on These sToried and saCred lands ThaT have Been sTeWarded By Indigenous peoples for Thousands of years Before The arrival of Colonial seTTlers.
cover photography by Jonathan Goulet + creative direction + edit by Fran Chudnoff
Creator’s Note
Why do I do drag?
To shock, ignite, empower and delight! Make art, connect, engage and reflect!
… so goes my drag manifesto (you’ll hear it a couple times tonight!)
When I started drag in 2018, I was in my late-thirties, mostly identified as an experimental music composer, vocalist and performer. I was also knee-deep in (what then felt like) a neverending interdisciplinary research-creation PhD in music/theatre/anthropology.
So amidst all that, why oh WHY start drag?
My strongest incentive was to nurture the coexistence of my brownness and my queerness. Of all my intersections, that one felt particularly neglected. Drag proved to be a stimulating artistic playground for me to explore these vulnerabilities and tackle the imposter syndrome many mixed/bi-cultural kids have; it provoked personal growth beyond my expectations.
After a few years of exploring drag in Montreal and on social media, I had the itch to create a solo show — something that would combine Bijuriya AND
This production is part of the Queer Voices Canada series supported by Canadian Heritage.
thaNk you
For Funding this work’s development and travel to toronto:
Canada Council for the Arts
For their support and Feedback during this work’s development:
Montréal, Arts Interculturels
Michael Toppings
Pandemic Theatre
Jiv Parasram
Tom Arthur Davis
Elizabeth Lima
Keith Trevor Fernandez
Sandeep Bhagwati
Noah Drew
David Howes
Sarah Albu
Claudia Chan Tak
Carlin Holmes
Kama La Mackerel
Françoise Major
James O’Callaghan
Marta Gaspar Carpinteiro
Jonathan Goulet
Julia Martinez Turgeon
For the amazing video Footage and promotional materials:
Music on Main
Collide Entertainment
Joanna Dundas
A special thank you to my supportive family members, dear friends and peers in different artistic communities, Jhalak friends and the queer brown community, as well as everyone who has believed in this work and supported it in their own way.
Much love to Montréal, arts interculturels (MAI) who first presented this work in 2022, and my heartfelt gratitude to all the venues, presenters and festivals who supported it since: Queer Arts Festival (Vancouver 2022), the Music Gallery (Toronto 2022), Springboard Performance’s Fluid Fest (Calgary 2022), the five Maisons de la culture CAM en Tournée (Montréal 2023-24), Open Ears (Kitchener 2024), PuSh Festival / Music on Main (Vancouver 2025) and Public Energy Performing Arts (Peterborough 2025).
Finally, warm thanks to ted and the entire Buddies in Bad Times team for their support, care, and diligence!
artIst BIos
Gabriel Dharmoo (he/him) / Bijuriya (she/her) // creator, performer, composer/sound design, drag + makeup – Gabriel Dharmoo is a composer, vocalist, improviser, drag artist, interdisciplinary artist, and researcher based in Montréal – Tio’Tia:Ke – Mooniyang (Canada). His works have been performed in Canada, the U.S.A, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Estonia, Poland, Australia, Singapore, and South Africa. He has received many awards for his compositions, such as the Canada Council for the Arts Jules Léger Prize for his chamber work Wanmansho (2017) and the Conseil Québécois de la Musique Opus Award for his opera À chaque ventre son monstre (2018). He recently released Vestiges d’une fable (2024), an album of his chamber music in collaboration with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. As a vocalist and interdisciplinary artist, his career has led him to travel internationally, notably with his solo show Anthropologies imaginaires which was awarded at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival (2015) and the SummerWorks Performance Festival (2016). The new solo show Bijuriya is the culmination of their drag persona Bijuriya’s work as a performance artist and musician; after having been active on social media (@bijuriya.drag) and the local drag scene in Montréal since 2019. Gabriel Dharmoo holds a PhD in research-creation from the Individualized Program of Concordia University.
Jon Cleveland // lighting design – Jon Cleveland is a Montreal based Lighting Designer/Visual Artist. Working in theatre and dance he has worked with The Segal Centre for The Arts, The National Arts Centre, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tangente, Cabal Theatre, Scapegoat Carinivale, Susanna Hood, Lucy M May, Rabbit in the Hat, Malik Nashad Sharpe, Rubberband Dance, Dave st Pierre, and Kim-Sanh Chau, among others. His design for Tragic Queens with Cabal Theatre was nominated for a 2017 META award for outstanding lighting design.
Gabriel Ledoux [he/him] // co-composer, music producer original songs – Gabriel Ledoux is a music composer and digital artist. As a producer, he co-wrote the music and produced Bijuriya’s first EP as well as music of Avery Florence. You can hear his strings arrangements in some songs by Ludovic Alarie, Plants and Animals, and Nous Deux. He wrote music for many short movies, contemporary dance shows and some theater shows. His album, ‘Le vide parfait,’ is a mix of free jazz and contemporary classical music. He recently started to learn Unreal Engine and started to make weird games under the moniker of The Space Lemmings from Space Productions. LAVALAMP, his first game, is available for free on Steam.
– Vidita Kanniks is a multi-faceted vocalist whose work primarily traverses classical chamber music and historical performance. With her dual background in Indian and Western classical music she aims to engage in projects that challenge cultural and musical boundaries. Most recently, her work was featured on the JUNO-nominated album, ‘East is East’, a collaborative recording project with Montreal-based Infusion Baroque. The 2025 – 26 season brings on appearances with Pegasus Early Music, NYS Baroque, Early Music Seattle, Resonance Works, and Indianapolis Early Music Festival. An avid choral singer, Vidita has performed with the VOCES8 Foundation and Grammy-nominated ensemble Seraphic Fire.
Keith Fernandez (he/she) // production assistant + dresser
– Keith Fernandez is a multidisciplinary theatre director, performer, and drag artist. A graduate of Grant MacEwan University and Concordia University, he founded Berlin Musicals in 2018, producing full-length musicals and revues. Select directing credits include Crash (Associate Director – Imago Theatre, 2026), An Uncomfortable Dinner Party (Fringe, 2025), Sinkhole (Infinitheatre, 2024), and Hedwig & the Angry Inch (Fringe, 2024). He has collaborated with Imago Theatre, Infinitheatre, Montreal Arts Interculturels, and Vancouver Opera. He is the Program Manager for the Artist Mentorship Program at Black Theatre Workshop and Apprentice Artistic Director at Imago Theatre. Named YES Employment’s Most Promising Emerging Theatre Producer in 2024, Keith continues to explore performance through his drag persona, KAJOL.
Julie Pichette // costume design – Julie Pichette is a multidisciplinary artist whose areas of exploration include dance, visual arts, and stage costume design. A graduate of the École de danse de Québec, Julie perfected her skills in Japanese butoh dance (1995) and bharatanatyam (2003). In 2011, she completed a Master’s degree in visual arts (stage costume design, visual arts, and butoh dance). As a performer, choreographer, set designer, and costume designer, she has participated in various artistic events in Quebec, France, Italy, Germany, and India.
Vladimir Cara // technical direction – Vladimir loves his job.
BuDDIes IN BaD tImes theatre
Artistic Director
TED WITZEL
Director of Finance and Development KRISTINA LEMIEUX
Rhubarb Festival Director LUDMYLLA REIS
Operations Coordinator MASON MCDONALD
Production Manager REBECCA VANDEVELDE
Technical Director ANTHONY ALLAN
Producer AIDAN MORISHITA-MIKI
Marketing Manager KATIE CLARKE
Social Media Assistant ELM REYES
Facility Manager PAUL THERRIEN
Senior Manager of Bar and Nightlife AL THOMAS-HALL
ArtAttack! Coordinator CHRIS IRONSIDE
Tallulah’s Event Producer KATHERINE TEED-ARTHUR
Chamber Coordinator AMBER PATTISON
Publicity
KATIE SAUNORIS | KSPR
Hosting Lead SEBASTIAN URMOM
Custodian KEVIN NICOL
Hosting Team
CONI AGURTO, MAXWELL COWAN, HANNAH KENNEDY, DIVINE MARKSOWUSU, MACKENZIE MCCALLUM, LESLEY NICHOLLS, ASHER ROSE, SARAH ROWE, SIWAR SORIA, MAIREAD STEWART, DANNY SYLVAN
Head of Security AIDAN MCKENDRICK
Security Team MARY RUMBAWA
Bar Personnel
RICHARD BELL, CHARLEE BOYES, DANIEL HOANG, RONNIE LÉGÈRE, ASHER ROSE
Emerging Creators Unit Director AMANDA CORDNER
Board of Directors
SEDINA FIATI JESSE GRIFFITHS ALEXANDER HUTCHISON MICHAEL MAN
